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Serving Mountain View & the Bay Area
- Candidacy
- Benefits
- Comparison to Other Procedures Targeting the Same Area
- Why Choose Us?
- Preparation
- Treatment Details
- Recovery/Results
- Risks/Safety
- Reviews/Testimonials
- Costs/Financing
Regenerative medicine is a new branch of medicine that involves replenishing, engineering or generating human cells, tissue or organs to restore normal function. In modern plastic surgery and other branches of medicine, professionals are always discussing the benefits of PRP (platelet-rich plasma) and stem cells.
PRP is a natural product derived from your own blood. It is obtained by separating the red blood cells from the platelets and plasma by centrifugation. This results in a clear, pale yellow fluid. This fluid is centrifuged a second time concentrating the platelets, nutrients and growth factors resulting in platelet “rich” plasma. 50cc of blood will yield approximately 7cc of platelet-rich plasma.
In plastic surgery, PRP can be used topically, injected under the skin or mixed with other tissue, the most common being fat.
PRP Therapy Candidacy
You may be a candidate for PRP therapy if you are interested in a minimally invasive treatment to soften noticeable signs of aging. When evaluating you for PRP, Dr. Ereso and our team will consider your health and lifestyle habits. If you smoke, drink excessive amounts of alcohol or having a blood or bleeding disorder, the doctor may suggest you consider alternative anti-aging treatments. PRP is also not appropriate if you are currently pregnant or breastfeeding.
Benefits of PRP Therapy
PRP used topically or immediately under the skin can promote collagen growth, improve skin tone, tightness and texture resulting in softening wrinkles and sun damage. The most common use of PRP is to enhance the viability and longevity of structural facial fat grafts predominantly used to restore volume and structure to the aging face. PRP is added to processed fat immediately prior to placement in almost all areas of the face. This can be a standalone procedure or be combined with face and neck lift, eyelid or brow surgery. The addition of the growth factors found in PRP appears to provide more rapid healing, less inflammation and more survival of the fat placed giving longer-lasting results. PRP-enriched fat is particularly helpful under the eyes and around the mouth. It can also be used with processed fat to soften the appearance of sun-damaged hands with prominent veins and tendons!
PRP is being intensely studied all over the world. It has been shown to improve wound healing and has been used for many years to treat musculoskeletal injuries and arthritis, particularly in the knee and back. Partial muscle tears appear to heal more rapidly when PRP is injected directly into the injured tissue. Chronic wounds treated with PRP appear to heal more quickly. New uses for PRP are being reported worldwide on a regular basis!
PRP Comparison to Other Procedures Targeting the Same Area
Unlike other non-surgical facial rejuvenation treatments like BOTOX® or dermal fillers, which use artificially made substances, PRP is completely natural and made from your own blood. There is no risk of your body negatively reacting to PRP.
Like BOTOX® and fillers, the PRP treatment process can be completed quickly and with minimal discomfort. Little downtime is required after treatment, and any side effects are usually mild.
Why Choose Us?
Dr. Ereso is an experienced PRP provider who understands how to use your own blood product to turn back the clock on facial aging. You can trust him and our team for safe treatment that delivers noticeable improvements.
Dr. Ereso will ensure that you understand exactly what to expect during and after PRP treatment, and he will guide you through the process step by step so there are no surprises.
PRP Injection Preparation
In preparation for PRP therapy, confirm that Dr. Ereso is aware of the medications, vitamins and supplements you take. If you currently take a blood-thinning drug, he may ask you to make a temporary change in anticipation of treatment to avoid complications.
Beyond that, there is not much more you should do to prepare for PRP treatment. Our team suggest eating a light meal prior to your appointment since a blood draw will be taken.
PRP Treatment Details
Upon your arrival at the office, we will quickly run through your medical history, medication list and allergies, and take your blood pressure. Next, we will take a blood sample and run the blood through a centrifuge twice to concentrate the platelet-rich plasma.
Once we have obtained the PRP, we can apply it topically, inject it under the skin or mix it with fat in preparation for fat transfer. The method we use will be pre-determined in consultation with Dr. Ereso. If we inject the PRP, anesthetic will be used for pain management purposes.
Recovery/Results
After treatment, you may need to remain in the office for a short observation period. Then, you are free to go and resume your normal daily activities, as long as you avoid anything strenuous such as heavy weightlifting or aerobic exercise for the first 24 hours.
PRP Therapy Risks/Safety
It is unusual to experience serious, lasting complications after PRP therapy. Possible risks include injury to the blood vessels or nerves, infection or the formation of scar tissue. Dr. Ereso can speak to the risks of PRP therapy in greater detail during your consultation. He will also explain how he minimizes the likelihood of complications and answer any of your questions.
Reviews/Testimonials
“I had a fantastic experience with Dr. Ereso and Sonja yesterday. The office environment is relaxed and you instantly feel comfortable with the staff. The amount of time and care each of them took in explaining my treatment options was beyond my expectations. HIGHLY recommend this team. My skin looks fabulous this morning!”
PRP Therapy Costs/Financing
The cost of PRP treatment depends on your specific needs: namely, how big the target treatment area is and how many PRP sessions you require. Once Dr. Ereso has determined your custom treatment plan during your consultation, our staff can review pricing and financing options with you.
Stem Cells
Stem cells are usually considered to be a unique population of cells that have the ability to renew themselves and differentiate into different types of cells. They can be divided into embryonic and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells have the greatest regenerative potential and can develop into virtually any adult cell type. Adult stem cells have been found in almost every type of tissue, but it remains very difficult to make these differentiate into specialized cells, tissue or organs once they are removed from the body. There is amazing research working on how to successfully culture all types of specialized tissue from these stem cells.
For practical purposes, adult mesenchymal stem cells are primarily derived from fat and bone marrow. Stem cells developed from fat and bone marrow are the most common sources of adult stem cells used in medicine today. They are being used for soft tissue augmentation, wound healing, bone, cartilage and skin formation. Bone marrow transplants have revolutionized the treatment of myeloma and other malignancies of the bone, blood and lymph tissues. Research in this area continues to work on the standardization of successful methods to produce reproducible excellent regeneration of healthy tissue.
In plastic surgery today, we are most interested in the use of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC). ADSCs have many outstanding characteristics such as being loaded with growth factors, anti-inflammatory factors and the ability to generate new blood vessels which greatly aids in the wound healing process as well as providing the potential for the rapid and long-lasting growth and repair of tissues. The other outstanding characteristic of ADSCs is that they come from fat which provides a plentiful source for cells! Using centrifugation and enzyme techniques they are relatively easy to isolate. Studies in Japan, the United States, and Europe have shown increased viability and longevity of structural fat grafts that have concentrated ADSCs added to the processed fat.
The problem with concentrating ADSCs is that it is time-consuming, expensive and requires some sophisticated equipment and personnel. This makes this process difficult in the common accredited outpatient surgical center. At this time there is also some controversy with the FDA regarding manipulating the fat with enzymes and then adding it back to the processed fat to be used for grafting. For these reasons enzymatically derived ADSCs are not commonly used by us. Mechanically refining fat by emulsification is much easier to perform and although not as effective as enzymatically treated fat. Currently, fat is being divided into milli, micro and nano fat depending on the size of the fat particles. Nano fat actually has very few fat particles and is mostly liquid-filled with growth factors that can be placed in many areas with a fine needle and syringe!
These are all very exciting developments in plastic surgery. It is important to understand that at this time almost none of these procedures are FDA approved and many unproven claims are being made by all types of practitioners in medicine. Our advice is to read what you can, remain inquisitive, but always be skeptical, especially if amazing claims are being made!
For more information about PRP therapy, call or email Pearl-Ereso Plastic Surgery Center today.
